Visualization of the metaphor of "Church Year" in art decoration of Venets Khrystov by Antoniy Radyvylovskyi

A study reveals that the Venets Khrystov (1688) by Antoniy Radyvylovskyi, produced at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra's printing house, employs Baroque aesthetics to transform traditional sermon illustrations into a metaphorical representation of the Church Year. Through a structural and semiotic analysis, researchers found that 53 narrative engravings—previously used in homiletic collections—were repurposed to symbolize the annual cycle of church services as a 'rose crown' gifted to the Savior. This innovation in Ukrainian book culture of the 17th century demonstrates the influence of Baroque style on visual metaphorization, blending graphic and verbal elements to create a cohesive artistic device. The research highlights a previously understudied aspect of Ukrainian typography, offering new insights into how Baroque aesthetics reshaped religious literature.

Kurhanova, O. (2020). Visualization of the metaphor of “Church Year” in art decoration of Venets Khrystov by Antoniy Radyvylovskyi. Rukopisna Ta Knižkova Spadŝina Ukraïni, (25), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.15407/rksu.25.069